Hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor



July 16, 1968 G. P. BLOCK 3,393,030

HOSPITAL CHART HOLDER FILE CABINET AND WARNING SIGNAL APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 22, 1966 3 heets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR.

GEORGE F? BLOCK BY MQ (2W G. P. BLOCK July 16, 1968 HOSPITAL CHART HOLDER FILE CABINET AND WARNING SIGNAL APP RATUS THEREFOR led Sept 22 1966 5 heets-Sheet Z INVENTOR. GEORGE E BLOCK G. P. BLOCK July 16, 1968 HOSPITAL CHART HOLDER FILE CABINET AND WARNING SIGNAL APPARATUS THEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 22. 1966 unuunu E h E INVENTOR. GEORGE/ BLOCK United States Patent Office 3,393,930 Patented July 16, 1968 3,393,030 HOSPITAL CHART HOLDER FILE CABINET AND WARNING SIGNAL APPARATUS THEREFGR George P. Block, Park Ridge, lll., assignor to The Algonquin Corporation, Skokie, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 581,264 6 Claims. (Cl. 312-234) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor which includes a series of spaced file compartments extending from front to rear of the file cabinet for the reception of hospital chart holders. A series of horizontally extending manually operable shafts are rotatably mounted in the file cabinet adjacent each of the file compartments. Warning signal units are arranged in spaced relationship in the file cabinet adjacent each of the file compartments, and warning signal means are provided which are operable by each of the manually operable horizontally extending shafts for indicating the presence of a work order in a hospital chart holder in the adjacent file compartment.

This invention relates to a combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor in the use of which a plurality of hospital chart holders may be readily filed in a cabinet therefor and individual warning signals operated by the doctor and nurse to enable the doctor to advise the nurse in attendance that one or more of the hospital chart holders in the file cabinet requires attention, and to enable the nurse to advise the doctor that a particular chart holder in the file cabinet has been given the attention ordered by the doctor.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved hospital chart holder file cabinet having a novel arrangement of individual warning signal units mounted therein in association with each hospital chart holder file compartment.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal unit therefor as embodied in the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the area indicated in FIG. 1 showing a portion of the combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and one of the warning signal units illustrated in FIG. 1; v

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal unit illustrated in FIG. 1, as seen from the right-hand side in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail view, on line 44 in FIG. 2, of one of the new hospital chart holder warning signal units shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 5-5 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional detail view illustrating the latching means embodied in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal unit embodying a modification of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the modification of the invention as shown in FIG. 7, as seen from the righthand side in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view, of the area encircled in FIG. 7, illustrating one of the warning signal units embodied in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, on line 1010 in FIG. 8, of one of the combination warning signal units and a part of the file cabinet embodied in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional detail view on line 1111 in FIG. 9 of the latching means embodied in the form of the warning signal unit shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, inclusive.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, of the drawings, wherein it is generally indicated at 15, and embodies a hospital chart holder file cabinet 16 which embodies a housing which includes side walls 17, a front wall 18, a pair of spaced rear wall panels 19, a top wall 20, and a bottom wall 21 (FIG. 5). The hospital chart holder file cabinet 15 includes two series of vertically spaced chart holder file compartments 22, each of which is formed by a vertical side wall 23 and a bottom wall 24, these parts 2324 being mounted on and carried by vertically extending front wall panels 25 which extend inwardly of the adjacent side wall 17 and between the top and bottom front wall panels 26 and 27. Thus it will be noted that the front wall panels 25 correspond to the rear wall panels 19 and extend only partially across the front of the file cabinet 15 in registry or in line with the rear wall panels 19 which extend only partially across the rear wall of the file cabinet 15 so that both the front and rear of the file cabinet 15 are open to provide access to the file compartments 22.

The new combination hospital chart holder and file cabinet warning signal unit 15 comprises a novel combination of warning signal units 28 which are arranged in pairs, one at the front and one at the back of each of the file compartments 22 of the hospital chart holder file cabinet 15. The two warning signal units 28 in each pair thereof are interconnected by a horizontally extending operating shaft 29 which extends through one of the front wall panels 25 and one of the rear wall panels 19 of the hospital chart holder file cabinet 15 from front to rear thereof, inwardly of the adjacent side wall 17.

Each of the warning signal units 28 comprises a relatively stationary indicia-bearing disc 30 which is mounted, in the case of the forward warning signal unit 28 (as seen in FIG. 1), in a recess 31 which is formed in the front surface of one of the front wall panels 25 and in the case of the rear warning signal unit 28, in a corresponding recess formed in one of the rear wall panels 19. Each warning signal :unit 28 also includes a rotatable disc 32 which is carried by the shaft 29 and a hand knob 3 is mounted on each operating shaft 29 at each end thereof.

A sight opening 34 is provided in each of the rotatable discs 32 and, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, each sight opening 34 is a quadrant approximately equal in area to onefourth of the surface area of the rotatable disc 32. The stationary indicia-bearing disc 30 has a quadrant-shaped red colored area 35 (FIG. 2) and the remaining threefourths portion of the outer surface of each of the relatively stationary indicia-bearing discs 30 may be colored in any suitable color or colors such, for example, as all white, or white, blue and green, and a particular color may, if desired, be coded to denote a doctors name.

Two pairs of latching devices 36 (FIG. 6) are associated with each of the warning signal units 28. Each of these latching devices 36 includes a pair of spaced latching holes or recesses 37 which are formed in each of the relatively stationary discs 30, and a latching detent 38 which is formed in each of the movable discs 32 and is selectively engageable in either of the latching holes or recesses 37 in the adjacent relatively stationary disc 30.

If desired, card slots 46 may be provided on one front wall panel 37 for the reception of suitable patient identification cards.

In the use of the new combination hospital chart and file cabinet warning signal unit shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, the hospital chart holders may be stored in the file compartments 22, which are open and accessible at both front and rear of the file cabinet 15, so that the doctor may insert a hospital chart holder into one of the file compartments 22 from the rear of the file cabinet and the nurse may withdraw it from the other or front end thereof.

When the doctor inserts a hospital chart holder into one of the file compartments 22 he rotates the corresponding or adjacent movable disc 32 by means of the hand knob 35 and this, in turn, acts through the corresponding shaft 29 to rotate both of the movable discs 32 on the shaft 29 so as to position both of the sight openings 34 in the two movable discs 32 on the shaft 29 in registry with the red colored quadrants or areas 35 of the two corresponding stationary discs 30, thus indicating to the nurse that the doctor has left an order in the hospital chart holder for her attention.

The nurse may then remove the hospital chart holder from the opposite end of the file compartment 22 to complete the order in the hospital chart holder, whereupon she may then rotate the shaft 29, by means of the hand knob 33 thereon, so as to move the sight openings 34 in the two rotatable discs 32 out of registry with the red colored areas 35 of the stationary discs 30. This brings the sight openings 34 in the rotatable discs 32 into registry with one of the other colored areas of the two stationary discs 30 on the shaft 29, thereby indicating to the doctor that the nurse carried out the order in the hospital chart.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 11, inclusive, of the drawings, and those parts thereof which are the same or comparable to corresponding parts in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, have been given the same reference numerals followed by the additional and distinguishing reference character a.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 11, inclusive, is substantially similar to that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, except that in this form of the invention a sight opening 39 is provided in each of the front and rear wall panels a and 19a (FIG. 10) and the colored discs 40 on the shafts 29a correspond to the stationary discs in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 11, inclusive, includes a pair of latching devices '41, one of which is associated with each of the rotatable discs (FIGS. 9 and 11). Each of these latching devices 41 includes a series of latching recesses 42 formed in the periphery of each of the rotatable discs 40 and a spring urged latching detent 43 which is selectively engageable in each of the latching recesses 42. Each of these latching detents 43 is formed as a part of the resilient arm 44 which is attached, as at 45, to the adjacent front wall panel 25a or 19a (FIG. 11).

The use and operation of the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 11, inclusive, are substantially the same as in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, except that in the use of this form of the invention the operator rotates the discs 40 on the shafts 29a to bring the desired red colored or other colored area on the discs 40 into registry with the stationary sight openings 39, and the rotatable discs 32 in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, are replaced by the stationary sight openings 39 in the front and rear wall panels 25a and 19a.

When one of the shafts 29a in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 11, inclusive, is operated to bring the desired colored area of the discs 40 into registry with the sight openings 39, the resilient latching detent 43 is urged under the force of its own resiliency into engagement with the corresponding latching recess 42 in the disc 40 so as to retain the disc 40 in its proper position with the selected colored area thereof in registry with the sight opening 39.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, that the present invention provides a new and improved combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal unit therefor having the desirable advantages and characteristics and accomplishing its intended objects including those hereinbefore pointed out and others which are inherent in the invention.

I claim:

1. A combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor comprising (1) a hospital chart holder file cabinet including (a) a row of spaced hospital chart holder file compartments each adapted to hold a hospital chart holder;

(2) a warning signal unit mounted in the said housing adjacent each of the said file compartments and including (a) a relatively stationary indicia-bearing member mounted in the said housing and having warning signal indicia thereon; and

(b) a disc member rotatably mounted in the said housing outwardly of the said relatively stationary indicia-bearing member and having a sight opening therein adapted to be moved by rotation of the said disc member to expose selectively to view different areas of the said relatively stationary indicia-bearing member to indicate the presence of a hospital chart holder in the adjacent one of said file compartments and the condition of a work order therein.

2. A combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor as defined in claim 1 in which the said file compartments (a) extend horizontally and are (b) spaced vertically, and

(c) are open at both ends thereof to provide access to each of the said file compartments from opposite sides of the said file cabinet.

3. A combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor as defined in claim 2 in which the said rotatable disc member is mounted on a horizontally extending shaft which is rotatably mounted in the said file cabinet and extends therethrough at one side of the corresponding one of the said file compartments.

4. A combination hospital chart holder and file cabinet as defined in claim 3 in which (a) the said file compartments are vertically spaced one above the other; and which includes (b) a vertically spaced series of the said horizontally extending shafts; and in which (c) an indicia-bearing disc member is mounted on each end portion of each of the said horizontally extending shafts; and in which (d) each of the said front and rear wall panels of the said file cabinet has a stationary sight opening therein for viewing the adjacent one of the said indiciabearing discs; and in which (e) a handle member is provided on each end portion of each of the said shafts outwardly of the said file cabinet housing for rotating each of the said shafts and both of the said discs carried thereby relative to the said stationary sight openings.

5. A combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor as defined in claim 4 in which the said rotatable indicia-bearing disc members are mounted on the said shafts within the interior of the said file cabinet housing.

6. A combination hospital chart holder file cabinet and warning signal apparatus therefor comprising (1) a file cabinet housing including (a) a front wall and (b) a rear wall;

(0) a series of spaced file compartments extending from the front to the rear of the said file cabinet for the reception of hospital chart holders;

(2) a series of manually operable warning signal units arranged in spaced relationship in said file cabinet adjacent each of said file compartments;

(3) means for manually operating each of the said warning signal units; each of the said warning signal units including (a) a manually operable horizontally extending shaft rotatably mounted in the said file cabinet CASMIR A.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Baber 232-34 Hassensall 312-234 X Boone 312-2345 X Workman 232-34 Allan 232-34 X NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. 

